Could Have Been
by Knutforyourthoughts
Summary: "You speak of your hatred of James Potter. But you don't speak of his wife, Lily," She whispered and Snape almost flinched.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

**Also, to clear things up a bit, I imagine this conversation would happen after Snape and Narcissa do the Unbreakable Vow thing.**

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"Severus?"

"Yes Narcissa?" Severus Snape said curtly, looking at her with an eyebrow raised. It was an intimidating look to many, but Narcissa Malfoy was no common weakling. She had endured so much pain and now, sitting in front of Severus with a tear stained cheek, Narcissa looked stronger than ever.

"Why did you become His servant?" Narcissa said boldy, before glancing at the door. She had sent her sister outside so she could talk to Snape privately. Bellatrix lived to serve the Dark Lord and if she found out about even a moment of this conversation, they were as good as dead.

"I live to serve the Dark Lord. My every breath is dedicated to his cause," Snape said smoothly, daring Narcissa to protest.

"What about Potter?" She said and Snape laughed. It was a bitter and metallic sound; almost as if his laugh was rusty because of disuse.

"What about Potter? He is but a snivelling, idiotic troublemaker who will be easily defeated by the Dark Lord. Just as his father was," Snape smirked, before gesturing to the elf made wine on the table in front of them; the bottle half empty. "But please, do drink; it would be a shame if the wine went to waste." Narcissa accepted another glass, sipping the wine delicately.

"Forgive me Severus, I know I owe you for making the Vow, but I can't help but wonder. Why do you hate Potter so much?"

"An enemy of the Dark Lord is an enemy of mine," he said and Narcissa shook her head.

"No, this hatred is deeper than that. I, well- I too live to serve Him, but I do not hate Potter as much as you do," She said and Severus sighed.

"It was a pleasant surprise to see you, Narcissa. But I think it is time for you to leave; Wormtail will become curious. Send Bellatrix my well wishes," He said, unlocking the door with his wand.

"Wait!" Narcissa cried. Snape frowned, locking the door.

"You speak of your hatred of James Potter. But you don't speak of his wife, Lily," She whispered and Snape almost flinched. His face betrayed nothing, but his eyes could not hide the hint of sadness that lurked in the back of his memories.

"What of her?" He asked stiffly.

"Don't pretend, Severus. I may not have been in the same year at Hogwarts as you, but I saw love in your eyes when you were with her," Narcissa said softly. It had been so long since Lily had died; she was becoming more of a distant memory to him every day.

"Perhaps. But it was a foolish idea; she was nothing more than a mudblood Gryffindor," he spat forcefully, burying his true feelings away. But Narcissa saw through his act and looked at him, not with pity, but with understanding.

"Perhaps. But," She said, lowering her force as if she was telling a secret. "I sometimes wonder what life would be like if I hadn't married Lucius," She said and Severus shook his head.

"You should be going n-"

"No one can hear us Severus. All the charms necessary have been cast," She said quietly and Severus turned to look at her.

"Do not regret your decision to marry Lucius. He is a noble, pureblood and-"

"Ah, but Severus. We didn't wed out of love; we wed out of duty. He-"She gulped, forcing the tears away. "He never fought for me, never chased after me. He never even looked at me with true love in his eyes until after our marriage."

Severus placed his hand on her shoulder comfortingly and Narcissa just sighed sadly.

"I'm sorry Severus," She said, before walking towards the door. "I think I will take my leave now."

He nodded, unlocking the door with a lazy flick of his wand. Narcissa stood at the door, before turning around.

"I suppose it _is _foolish, this life; this idea of love. We are Slytherins; cunning, ambitious and ruthless. We hide away our hearts, in fear of being hurt. But, in this moment, I can't help but wonder about what could have been," she said finally, before walking out the door; stopping her disgruntled sister from hexing Wormtail. Her tears had already dried and their conversation was already locked away in the depths of her mind. The sisters left Spinner's End, leaving Snape alone to his thoughts.

Severus sighed. It had been years since Lily had been murdered, but his love for her still remained. It pained him to even think about her; she was so long gone- to him and to the world. And it didn't help that whenever he saw Harry Potter, he saw James and Lily. A pure and balanced mixture of them both. It made his blood boil to think about James Potter and the only thing stopping him from strangling the Harry was his green eyes. The same ones Lily had. And although he pretended to hate the boy, the only thought in his mind when he saw those eyes was what could have been.

**Thanks for reading! Reviews are appreciated, but obviously not necessary. The picture is taken from Flickr and it's taken by Bill Gracey.**

**Knutforyourthoughts**


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